The Director of Youth Work is responsible within FEIF for organizing and conducting the international co-operation between youth work in the member countries, the youth committeee and the FEIF Board. The stated aims of the Youth department are: (a) to promote excellence in riding and horsemanship skills, by supporting the educational youth work that happens in member countries; (b) to build up and foster cross border friendship and international networks that will grow and last beyond the teenage years of the participants, and (c) to promote sound knowledge and understanding of the Icelandic horse, its history and its culture.

The current FEIF Director of Youth Work is Gundula Sharmann, who was elected in 2014 in Reykjavík.

Gundula Sharman and her husband run an organic farm in the North East of Scotland. Apart from breeding and raising ca. 120 Aberdeen Angus cattle, they also breed Icelandic horses on a small scale, and train all their own youngsters. Their aim is to produce well-trained, family friendly horses for the UK leisure market.

Since 1998, Gundula has been working as a lecturer and head of the German department at the University of Aberdeen. She is also involved with the British Horse Society (all horse breeds), which is an important voice in the national horse industry in the UK.